Over 90% of Current Female High School Students in Reiwa Era Don't Want to Tan This Summer! 'Whitening Devotees' Dominate, While Males Surprisingly Embrace Tanning!?

We have now entered the peak of summer.

Some may return from outings or beach trips shocked to find, "Oh no, I'm tanned..."

On the other hand, some might still believe that "summer equals a wheat-colored tan."

So, how do current high school students in the Reiwa era view tanning?

Wakamono Research, a marketing insights site targeting teens and current high school students, conducted a nationwide survey among current high school students (both genders) regarding their views on tanning.

Below, we present a portion of the results.

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【For Businesses】

Surveys on teens and Gen Z like this article can also be conducted for your company's products and services.

- Want to incorporate authentic voices of teens and Gen Z into product development? - Looking for "trendy data" that can be used in PR? - Want to create media-covered campaigns?

Wakamono Research can comprehensively design the entire process from "survey → article creation → media exposure."

In fact, there are cases where PR using survey data has led to media coverage and social media spread.

Would you like to co-create a "trendy survey"?

▶ Results and inquiries here

contact@wakamono-research.co.jp

▶ Wakamono Research Corporation official website

https://wakamono-research.co.jp/

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["I don't want to tan": Female high school students say "fair skin is cuter," "whitening is life"]

First, Wakamono Research conducted a survey among current female high school students nationwide asking, "Do you want to get tanned this summer?"

The results showed that 6.2% answered "yes," while 93.8% answered "no,"

revealing that the vast majority of female high school students do not want to tan this summer.

Among the responses from girls who don't want to tan, the most common answers were:

"I think fair skin is cuter"

"Because fair skin is cuter"

"Because fair skin makes me look better"

"Fair skin looks more flattering"

"I want to stand out with fair skin this summer"

These reflect the prevailing value that "fair skin = cute and photogenic."

Given that idols and influencers admired by female high school students today are mostly fair-skinned,

it seems natural that "fair skin is beautiful" has been deeply ingrained, making the desire to avoid tanning almost inevitable.

Furthermore, among girls aspiring to have fair skin, passionate comments reflecting a strong "fair-skin faith" included:

"Fair skin is best"

"I want to be completely white‼️"

"I want to become as white as possible"

"Whitening is life!!!"

"Whitening is definitely better, like K-pop idols"

"Because I want to have a transparent glow"

"Because I want to be a delicate, ethereal girl"

"I want to be a fair-skinned beauty"

The survey also revealed that "fair skin" has become fully embedded in the current template of "looking attractive," including keywords like "transparency," "ethereal," and "K-pop idols."

Given how strongly they associate fair skin with beauty,

some expressed direct negative views such as:

"There's nothing good about being dark"

"Dark skin isn't cute"

"Tanning makes you less cute"

"I don't find tanned high school girls cute"

Specifically, reasons include:

"Dark skin doesn't make clothes stand out"

"Over-tanning limits clothing options"

suggesting that tanning reduces makeup appeal and outfit compatibility.

There were also responses related to skin issues:

"I don't want to get age spots in the future"

"I don't want to develop freckles"

"Freckles are a complex, and I don't want to increase them"

"I want to avoid skin problems caused by sun exposure"

"Because tanning increases the risk of skin cancer"

"Because sun exposure can damage skin and potentially cause skin cancer"

"I don't want to get sick"

Many responses showed concern for health.

To those who freely tanned at the beach or tanning salons during the Heisei era, these answers might seem unbelievable.

Others cited personal experiences:

"I got tanned last year"

"I experienced peeling skin after tanning last year"

"I regretted getting tanned from club activities last year"

indicating strong determination to avoid tanning this year based on last year's real-life experiences.

Next, although a minority, let's look at the voices of the 6.2% of female students who answered "yes" to wanting to tan this summer:

"Girls with a wheat-colored tan are cute"

"Wheat-toned skin is cute, right!"

"Because I admire overseas girls"

"Tanned skin gives an outdoor, active impression, which is cute"

These opinions were received.

Given that K-pop idols and others are overwhelmingly fair-skinned,

female students following trends tend to lean toward the whitening path.

However, some girls, unaffected by this trend and instead aspiring to a lifestyle like overseas celebrities, seem to view "wheat-toned skin = a confident, attractive way of life."

Additionally, among the female students who answered "yes," some responses reflected a sense of "resignation to fate":

"I'll tan anyway from club activities"

"I go outside a lot, so it's unavoidable"

"Since I'll tan anyway, I might as well enjoy it"

These indicate that while they don't particularly desire tanning,

a minority adopt the attitude of "since it's unavoidable due to lifestyle, I might as well enjoy it."

[About 40% of males want to tan! "It's cool," "proof of hard summer practice"]

Next, Wakamono Research conducted the same survey among current male high school students nationwide: "Do you want to get tanned this summer?"

The results showed that 37.5% answered "yes," while 62.5% answered "no,"

indicating that nearly 40% of male high school students want to tan.

It also became clear that male students are more interested in tanning compared to female students.

Among male students who want to tan, the word "cool" stood out:

"Because it's cool"

"Tanned skin looks cooler"

"A tanned man is cool"

"Being tanned is cool"

"Muscles look better when tanned"

"I'll become a cool man!"

It seems that Reiwa-era male students still hold the image that "pale skin in summer looks weak,"

and they want to look cool by tanning.

Additionally,

"It shows I worked hard in summer practice"

"Tanning is proof that I worked hard this summer"

"It's proof of hard work in club activities, a manly badge of honor"

"In baseball, pale skin looks uncool"

Many male students associate tanning with sports, viewing it as "proof of effort."

Therefore, among male students in outdoor clubs,